‘Lockdown shouldn’t leave people locked out’!

SOME South Oxfordshire District Councillors and their supporters have warned the Government’s Planning Inspectorate that it needs to take care not to exclude the public from the impending Local Plan hearings.

The examination in public of the controversial South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2034, will take place from July 14, after the Housing Minister Robert Jenrick, blocked the ruling Lib Dem and Green Councillors from withdrawing the plan previously drawn up by the then Conservative-led administration.

Due to the Corona virus lockdown, the hearings may now be held completely online with speakers needing to connect from their homes.

Some Councillors are particularly concerned too about the short time frame of the hearings, and the fact that they will be taking place at the height of the summer holidays after a spring of lockdown, and that the virtual medium has known potential drawbacks, especially in this  rural district where broadband connections can be very poor.

Will all opinions get a fair hearing?

In a statement today, the South Oxfordshire Green Party said: “The Corona virus pandemic has already had major impacts on how we live and work, many of which will continue for years to come. Many people are becoming used to using technology to work from home and reducing unnecessary travel. Council committees and even parliament have been able to meet online.

“However, the specific requirements of this local plan examination, operating to a fixed deadline imposed by the Secretary of State, demand that all objections and opinions get a fair hearing. While the council’s excellent officers have the expertise and professional ability to meet these deadlines, and Councillors are reasonably confident using the online conferencing technology, this is an examination ‘in public’ and it is the public’s ability to interact successfully with the process that is a key democratic principle.

‘Hearing should be postponed’

Sam Casey-Rerhaye, Green District Councillor for Sandford and the Wittenhams, said:”The December deadline imposed by the Secretary of State ought to be extended, and the hearings postponed to allow public participants to get up to speed after the interruption and pressures caused by the pandemic, and to allow the possibility of the lockdown easing sufficiently for better public access to the examination.

“We would welcome a hybrid process whereby the examination takes place at a physical location in South Oxfordshire, with social distancing if required, and parallel online interactivity, allowing the best of both worlds in terms of accessibility. At minimum, a location should be provided for those with poor internet connectivity to access the examination.” 

A ‘foregone conclusion’?

In a letter to the Planning Inspectorate, the Chair of SODC’s Climate Emergency Advisory Committee, Green Cllr Sue Roberts, has written:

“There is a feeling among the people of the district that this is a ‘show-trial’ with a foregone conclusion. The democratic deficit was already there, with Mr Jenrick forcing the district council to push the plan through inspection and forbidding us from voting to withdraw it. Mr Jenrick states that he will take ‘further intervention action’ should the plan fail. 

“Given the circumstances, please can we make this as robust a process as possible. Please would you consider deferring the inspection until September. It would be better if our plan, as contentious as it is, were not the one to be the first experiment with the virtual medium. At the least, we should like those without access to good internet to be able to meet in a public place and be given it. 

‘Fair and reasonable access’

“We feel that an inspection taking place in this way lays a path open for judicial challenge on fair and reasonable access. The last thing South Oxfordshire needs is more uncertainty and irregularity.”

Laura Coyle and Richard Benwell, speaking on behalf of the Henley and Wantage Constituency Lib Dems, have voiced their concerns::

“Many areas of South Oxfordshire have poor broadband services and making the inspection process online-only carries the real risk of excluding people whose voices should be heard.

“Bear in mind that there are also plenty of people who wish to take part in the inspection but do not have the technical skills or computer equipment in their own house to enable them to speak in an online inspection.

‘Lockdown shouldn’t leave people locked out!’

“Public safety must come first, but we must also ensure that lockdown doesn’t leave people locked out of local decision-making. Before defaulting to digital-only proceedings, it is right to ask whether some people could attend in person with effective social distancing for staff, councillors and public in place.”

South Oxfordshire Lib Dem and Green Party Councillors will be making the case for, what they consider to be, further improvements and changes to the submitted plan, whenever and wherever the examination takes place.